Is Gander Mountain in Evansville Closing? [UPDATE]

Recently, there have been rumors of Gander Mountain going bankrupt. Does this mean that the Evansville store will be closing?

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Rumors that that company is filling for bankruptcy surfaced after Reuters reported last week that the retailer had been preparing to file this month. This would be a huge blow to avid outdoor activity lovers in the Tri-State if the company were to close its doors in Evansville. People have been asking if it is true and if/when they would be closing.

According to the Star Tribune in St. Paul, Minnesota (where Gander Mountain is based out of), Gander Mountain responded Wednesday to bankruptcy rumors, saying the company had “undertaken a best practices approach to review our strategic options specific to positioning the company for long-term success.”

Now, Gander Mountain neither confirmed nor denied rumors that it is filing for bankruptcy protections, but decided to stick with "company policy" not to comment on business affairs. You can see the full article pertaining to their possible bankruptcy here.

Gander Mountain and its ownership group have undertaken a best-practices approach to review our strategic options specific to positioning the company for long-term success. When we engage in such a review we often seek information and advice from external advisors to inform our decisions. To assist in this process, we have retained Houlihan Lokey as independent advisors and we are confident that the outcome of the review will identify the right go-forward strategy. In the meantime, our Gander Mountain stores and gandermountain.com remain the place to go for all of our customers’ outdoor adventure needs.

So what does all of this mean for our store in the Tri-State? It appears that they will remain open for the foreseeable future, or until Gander Mountain issues further statements on which direction the company will be heading. I for one can only hope that Gander remains open in Evansville as it provides hunters and fishers, like myself, another outlet to purchase their supplies.

********UPDATE***********

According to the USA Today, Gander Mountain will be closing 32 of its 162 stores. As far as the Evansville store goes, it appears that it will remain open. Here is a list of all of the stores that will be closing.